Because Of You
by Pick This Star
Summary: We all have scars. Some barely scratch the surface, but others seem to tear the very fabric of the universe. Alice watched her mother die. Eleven years later, he is her only hope. ALL HUMAN
1. Alice

Disclaimer:I don't own this. Obviously.

**A/N--This is probably a rubbish chapter, but they'll get better I swear!!**

* * *

**ALICE**

"Hello girls," he smile at us "got everything ready?"

"Yes Mr Cullen," Rosalie bobbed her head. She smiled her pretty smile at him.

"Ok. Do you want to say goodbye to Blake and Jo?" He asked, his grey eyes flickering to the door where they were sitting, speaking with our social worker, Steph.

Rosie looked at me. I bit my lip and shook my head, looking at the floor. They were throwing us away. They didn't deserve a goodbye.

"Alright," he sighed, raising his eyebrows as I looked up. "Get in the car."

My eyes flickered to the sleek black car. Sure, I didn't know my cars very well, if at all, but this one looked smart enough. Clearly, my new foster father had money.

"Alice, come on," Rosalie tugged my elbow. I picked up my little suitcase. It held the few possessions I had, the few clothes, the little folder stuffed with photos, drawings, and writing collected through my life, as well as a couple of books and my bear. Yes, I am fifteen and I still have a stuffed bear. Mock me, I dare you.

"I'm just going to have a word with Stephanie," Dr Carlisle Cullen told us.

Rosalie and me walked through the door for the last time, along the path, past the front garden that held a deflated paddling pool from two years ago, the pretty flowers and the slide, seeing as we had no back yard, and through the gate. The next door neighbours kids were skate boarding down the path, laughing and shoving each other. Rosalie and I got in the back seat of the car without another word, a backward glance. There was a tap at the window as I shut the door. I looked to see who it was, at Rosalie's window. Paul. Paul was Rosalie's ex. She dumped him for another guy, but he refused to give up on her, saying he loved her and giving her flowers and chocolate at every available opportunity.

"What do you want, Paul?" Rose asked, winding down the window.

"Where are you going Rosie? With your suitcase and your sister?" Paul asked. He held a soccer ball under his arm, his tanned skin dripped sweat. I crinkled my nose.

"Away. Away from you, away from everything!" Rosalie told him, staring him straight in the face.

"Why? I love you Rosie! Take me back?" He begged, his eyes pleading.

"No! Leave me alone Paul! Stuff your flowers and stuff your apologies! I know what you did with Grace! I'm never taking you back!" She wound the window up.

I stretched my hand out to her, as Paul turned throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation, to his friend. I didn't know about Grace.

Rosalie took my hand, and smiled sadly at me. There were tears in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall, I knew.

"This dress is so itchy," she said in a quiet voice. Jo had made us wear posh dresses seeing as we were going to a new foster home. She had bought Rose's especially, but mine was from back when I was eleven, seeing as I had only grown about two inches. It was ridiculous. It was a pink thing with frills and bows. Rosalie's wasn't much better. The two of them were 1940's style things, when here we were in the 2000's. Rose had curled her hair, and although Jo usually banned us from wearing make up, as if we were both six years old, she turned a blind eye to Rosie today. Maybe it was because she simply did not want to look at us. Guilt perhaps. "Alice are you ok?" Rosie asked, concerned. I nodded my head, turning my face towards the floor. I couldn't speak. I knew I would burst into tears if I did. We had been with Jo for two and a half years. Now, all because of me, she had thrown us out. "This isn't your fault you know," Rosalie told me, squeezing my hand.

"It is," I whispered.

"Alice! Course it isn't! It's just that old...that old cow thinks we're like some kind of shit she can throw away," Rosalie said angrily. "Its not your fault you got angry, sweetie."

"It's my fault we're leaving," I whispered again.

"No it isn't! If anything its my fault for sleeping with Paul..."

"Do you still love me?" I asked quickly.

"Oh Alice! Do you even have to ask? Of course I love you! You're my baby sister!" Rosalie stroked my hair from the other side of the backseat.

Baby sister wasn't the right word. I was only two years younger than her. I was fifteen, she was seventeen. But people often mistook me for a kid of ten, And Rosalie for a woman of twenty. Once, someone even thought I was her daughter! I'm pretty sure he was extremely short sighted though, being seventy nine and a friend of Jo's dead father. I didn't exactly act fifteen either. After we saw dad kill mom, when I was just four, I stopped talking for almost a year. After intensive therapy, and even a time in mental institution for children, I started to speak again. But I've never spoken much since, and when I'm sad, I stop altogether. I never, ever wear make up, and not just because I'm not allowed. I can't be bothered, whats the point? I mostly just read as well. I never have friends, because who wants a friend with issues? The only time I really talk, is when I get angry. When I get angry I scream, I tear my hair out, I smash things, I hit walls, I rip things up and tear pages out of books, I hit people, I hit my head against walls, hard, I smash windows and I break doors. When I get angry, you know about it.

"Ok Alice, Rosalie?" Stephanie asks, opening my door and peering in, with Carlisle Cullen just behind her.

Stephanie has been mine and Rosalie's social worker ever since my old social worker retired five months ago. Stephanie is much younger, at only twenty-six. She knows the ins and outs of my life, as well as Rosalie's, and on a quiz about our lives would probably get a higher score than ourselves. Stephanie knows all our history, as well as our parents, our grandparents and probably even our great grandparents. Stephanie knows about our presents, our futures, and how our minds work. When your fostered, your mind isn't even your own private place any more. I learned that in the children's home when our first foster parents couldn't handle my screaming fit. That was when I shared a room with the most obnoxious six year old you will ever meet, who bullied me because my mother was dead, and her own mom still loved her. The girl, who was called Felicity, her own mom was a drug addict, I learned through snooping through her files one night. Felicity didn't have a daddy. My daddy was in jail, and would be for life.

"I'll be coming to see you in a week," Stephanie smiled, brushing her brown hair away from her face. "And you're sure you're ok going home with Carlisle?"

"Yes thank you Stephanie," Rosalie nodded

"Alice?" Stephanie asked. I nodded. "Ok girls. See you next week. Good luck," She smiled.

"Thank you," Rosalie said, squeezing my hand.

Carlisle climbed into the car, and we pulled off, as Stephanie waved, and we passed by the street we had lived down for two and a half whole years. We had met Carlisle once before. He had told us about his home, in the country, two hours away from this place. He told us about how big it was, and that if we wanted we could have a whole room to ourselves. He told us about his adopted son Edward, who he adopted three years ago, and he was sixteen. Carlisle was single, after his wife died in a car crash six months after Edward was adopted.

"What do you two like doing in your spare time then?" Carlisle asked.

"I like singing," Rosalie shrugged. We didn't really have much spare time at Blake and Jo's. We were usually confine to schoolwork, studying and sports. "And baseball."

"What about you Alice?" Carlisle asked. I swallowed. I never, ever trust adults. All they ever do is break you.

"Alice likes reading," Rose answered for me. I was eternally grateful. "And dancing."

I wanted to hit Rosalie. I loved dancing. Mom sent me to classes when I was three and four, but then dad stabbed her six times, and she died. So then I went to a foster home, and I was hardly in any fit state to dance. I did dance again though. When we went to the children's home, I would dance in my room when Felicity was not around. I would dance whenever I could, if it was just me, or if Rose was there too. But it was a secret thing. My guilty pleasure.

"Really?" Carlisle asked.

"NO! It...its stupid," I yelled and then whispered, realising I was probably freaking my new foster dad out.

"I don't think it is," Carlisle shrugged. "I met my late wife at ballroom classes, ten years ago," Carlisle smiled fondly at this memory. It was probably the best he had.


	2. Bella

Disclaimer: If I owned twilight, I would live in a huge house with a pool. I don't live in a huge house with a pool, so clearly I don't own twilight.

**A/N-- R&R? Pweeease! You get virtual cookies if you do =D Anyway this chapter is from Bellas POV, as she too goes to her new foster home.**

-----------------

**BELLA**

"Why does _she_ get to sit up front?!" The small boy wined from where he sat behind Esme's seat in the car. Sitting behind me was a surly, grumpy looking boy of about seventeen, with big purple rings beneath his eyes.

"Seth! Quiet!" Esme shouted at the boy. So this was Seth. Esme had told me about him and his two foster brothers last time we met. She said it would be nice to have another girl in the house.

"Esme, Jasper said he'd deck me again while you were getting that girl!" Seth wined again.

"Seth! Quiet! Jasper is this true?" Esme asked, fastening her safety belt and turning around. The boy, Jasper I supposed, rolled his eyes.

"No," he mumbled.

"Seth, this is Bella, not 'that girl'," Esme scolded him. He pouted. When she turned around, Seth stuck his tongue out at me and narrowed his eyes. I returned the gesture.

"Bella, this is Seth, he's eight," Esme said, whilst leaving the parking space. "This is Jasper, he's seventeen, but he'll be in your class at school because he was held back a year." Jasper narrowed his eyes at the back of Esme's head, and then caught me looking and turned to the floor, muttering something under his breath. "Boys, this is Bella, she's sixteen. I want you to be nice and welcome to her, and remember what it feels like coming to a new home."

"Esme, Jasper is glaring at me!" Seth whimpered.

"Boys! Stop that! Now!" Esme glanced in her mirror to look at the boys. "Jasper only came along with us today because he's grounded," Esme told me. I nodded. Esme didn't tell me why, and I didn't ask.

I'm used to foster kids now. I'm one myself, but I come with minimal problems. My mom died when I was ten, of cancer. I never had a father. He left mom when she found out she was pregnant with me. Therefore, I have no idea who my paternal grandparents are. My moms dad is dead, and my moms mom has dimensia and lives in a home. My mom is an only child, so there were no aunties or uncles to look after me. I'm an only child too. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer and had to go for chemo, I went to live with my first foster family who were only temporary. When she died, almost a year later, I went to live with a new foster family. I stayed there for two years, and the family were considering adopting me, when my foster mom died in a car accident. Once more, the person I loved had died. I went to a new foster family after that, I lived with an older couple who were very strict and made me wear stupid clothes and do homework all day. I was too shy to ask to leave there, but the social workers said I had changed since living with them, and at a review I asked to be moved. I lived there for a year. For the past three years, I lived with a young family who thought they couldn't have children. I had a little foster brother there, the same age as Seth, but he was nicer. I was happy there, but then my foster dad got this job in Australia, and my foster mom found out she was pregnant after all. So we were shipped away, sent to different foster homes.

Two weeks ago, Esme recieved a phone call and came down to my old foster home to visit me. She told me all about how her husband had left her two years ago, and about Emmett, the oldest, of eighteen, who she had fostered for three years and had now adopted, and had been on her side throughout Esme's break up, when social services wanted to take him away and he said that he wouldn't leave, because his 'mom' didn't deserve to have everything taken away. She told me about Seth, who she had fostered for one and a half years, and about Jasper, who she had for only four months, and who didn't open up. She told me a bit about him. He had been abused, and no one else had wanted him, because of his behaviour problems, and the fact that he never, ever spoke. But Esme, who was good with any child, took him. He spoke now, rarely, but he spoke. But he was still extremely withdrawn. Esme also told me about the four other children she had fostered since her break up. There had been Cali, a sixteen year old who seemed to hate everything, and ran away four times in the space of three months. Esme had been unable to cope, so Emmett insisted Cali left. There had been George, a lovely boy who had only been staying with Esme for sixth months while his normal foster parents had a baby. There had been Chloe, a girl of seventeen who was violent when she arrived, but much better when she turned eighteen and left for collage. And there had been Sophie, a self harmer who attempted suicide twice under Esme's roof. Esme helped Sophie an unbelievable amount, and by the time she left, aged sixteen, to live with her birth mother again, a month before Jasper arrived, she no longer self harmed, and she was much happier. But there was still Jasper to cure...and things didn't look good.

"Esme are we there yet?" Seth asked.

"Seth! We are obviously not there! You know its a four hour drive!" Esme was beginning to get cross I could tell. "Go to sleep Seth! You too Bella, its a long drive."

"Ok," I nod, my voice hoarse from lack of use.

"Could you tell us a bit about you first Bella?" Esme asked. I had told her a bit about myself at our last meeting.

"Um...I like to swim. My mom died of cancer when I was ten...but I expect you already know that."

"Just because I've heard about it doesn't mean I know anything about it," Esme glanced at me. What did she mean? "What was that like for you? Were you close to your mom?"

"Yes," I nodded, "she was my mom and my dad really. She taught me to play baseball, and took me swimming, as well as doing my hair and buying me pretty clothes."

"You never had a father did you?" Esme asked.

"No. He left. He never wanted a kid. Never wanted me."

"Well he was pretty damn stupid then wasn't he?"

I smiled half heartedly at Esme. She smiled warmly back.

"How about we stop at a service station in a couple hours?" Esme asked, flicking her eyes to my face. I nodded. "Jasper are you good with that?" Jasper nodded too. "Seth? Seth?" Esme glanced in her mirror again. Seth was fast asleep. Already.


	3. Rosalie

Disclaimer: I don't own this. Simples braap!

**A/N-Thank you soooooooo much for your lovely reviews everyone! They mean so much and always make me smile :) . Soo I have heaps of free time at the minute cos schools out for Christmas, but I go back on Thursday, so I will be updating less then, but as often as I can!! I'm doing GCSE work so the teachers give me loads of homework which sucks. Hope you like this chapter, its from Rosalie's POV atm. I want to get a POV from everyone just to know what its like to be them, and what everything looks like to them. if you have any ideas or suggestions or criticism please tell me!! I would love to hear everything, and I really need constructive criticism. Anyway, love you guys, Elly. (Yes, I am am experimenting with ways to spell my name. I also died my hair red today :) I like it)**

* * *

_"I will not make the same mistakes that you did_

_I will not let myself_

_Cause my heart so much misery_

_I will not break the way you did,_

_You fell so hard_

_I've learned the hard way_

_To never let it get that far"_

_--Kelly Clarkson-Because Of You_

_"A wise girl kisses but doesn't love, listens but doesn't believe, and leaves before she is left."_

— _Marilyn Monroe_

**ROSALIE**

My sister was quivering. Her eyes were huge, her lips pale. I squeezed her hand. hoping to offer some comfort. The house was huge, and beautiful, I had to admit. I couldn't wait to live there, it was modern, with a huge glass front. It wasn't in the middle of nowhere, it was just surrounded by a forest. I loved it instantly. I just wished we had a family to live in it with.

"In you go. I'll show you to your rooms in a minute," Carlisle smiled at us, opening the front door.

The house was all open plan, and at the kitchen table, a tall, bronze haired boy, leant back with his eyes closed, headphones covering hie ears. Alice swallowed hard. I wasn't going to show emotion. I was going to keep my rough exterior. Like a lychee fruit. Dr Carlisle Cullen seemed nice enough, and his heart was in the right place, but he would get freaked by Alice and me soon I wasn't turning eighteen soon, we would be thrown out of this house within a year. Still, a few months and I would be eighteen, and I could officially adopt Alice, and we would go and live in a rented flat or something, and I would get a job and buy us nice things, save up for a house of our own.

"Edward!" Carlisle shouted, closing the door behind us. The boy had no response. He was clearly Dr Cullen's adopted son. "Edward!"

The boy opened his eyes, blinked a few times and ripped the headphones form his head pressing the stop button on his ipod. "Hello?" Edward rubbed his eyes.

"Edward, this is Rosalie Brandon, and this is Alice Brandon," Carlisle smiled. "Girls, this is Edward Cullen," Carlisle gestured to the boy.

"Hello," Edward held up a hand as a sign of welcome.

"Edward, would you take the girls suitcases up to their rooms? You know where they're sleeping don't you?"

"Yeah. Ok," Edward nodded, getting up lazily.

"You two, would you follow Edward and see your rooms? You can unpack," Carlisle said. I nodded.

Edward effortlessly picked up the two suitcases and lead the way upstairs. Not that they weighed much. We left most of our clothes at Jo's house. Alice wanted to take them, but I made her leave almost everything Jo had bought us there. They were throwing us away. We would throw everything they gave us away. We didn't need them. We just had to show that.

"Your rooms are on the third floor," Edward turned, smiling at us. Alice smiled politely back. I wasn't going to weaken. I wasn't.

"This is a big house," Alice said meekly. I rolled my eyes. Trust her to suck up.

"Yes, it is. It has three bedrooms on the second floor and two on the third. Rosalie has an en suite bedroom," Edward smiled at me. I was used to boys smiling at me, but Edward was smiling differently. He was smiling in a kind, understanding way. It made me feel guilty. I had no right to hate or envy this boy. I had no idea what he had been through.

"Why are you adopted?" I blurted out. Oh great call, Rosalie. You just met the boy. Next, he'd be asking for mine and Alice's life stories. "It's ok if you don;t want to say," I added quickly.

"Oh...No it's alright." He spoke in an English accent, as did his adopted father. "My mother...wasn't fit to look after me any more. Neither was my father. I was sent to my first foster home aged six...when I was nine I was sent to Carlisle. After a few years, he adopted me."

"Oh." It sounded pretty straight forward. Much, much more straight forward than mine and Alice's story.

My life has been far, far from easy. My father used to beat me. I was vane, and did well at school. But my daddy never loved me. He liked Alice much better. The fragile, premature baby. Mom tried her best, but she had a drug addiction, and tried to kill herself when I was five. Then, when I was six, dad found some mans boxers in their bedroom, and shouted and shouted at mom. He got a kitchen knife, and stabbed her over and over again, in the chest, in the head. Alice and me had been sent to bed, but we crept downstairs when the shouting got too loud for us to bare. We hid behind the door frame, watching, as we both sobbed silently into each other. Alice screamed when our father stabbed mom. Once he'd finished, he laughed an evil laugh, and then turned towards us, his eyes full of thunder, his face terrified me, and I still have nightmares about that face. He turned to us, knife held high. He pushed Alice out of the way, and I rounded on him, screaming words of abuse, telling him he was a horrible man, and that I hated him. I told him he should rot in hell and that I hoped he died, right now, in the most painful way imaginable. He growled. He tried to stab me then, screaming words at me, screaming words at each other. He told me I was a filthy slut. He told me he hated me too, and that I didn't deserve to grow up. I ran then, picking Alice up, out of the door, up the street. There were sirens then. A neighbor had heard screams, and called the cops. But still, I ran with Alice. She was four, but only about the size of a two year old, and skinny as anything. We hid away, in a shed, simply because it was a place to hide. The man who owned it found us, and called the police. We were taken to a foster home, and I had to look after Alice.

The two of us had problems after that. Alice refused to speak for months and months. Then she would have the wildest screaming fits, smashing and tearing everything in sight. I became angry. I hated everyone and everything, except for my Alice. I used to hurt myself too. Bang my head against walls, scratch my skin so it bled... Our foster homes weren't all fun and games either. The first one was ok, but Alice had three screaming fits there, and smashed up half the house, so they sent us packing. The children's home was horrible. The people who ran it tried their hardest, but the little boys would bully me, push me and beat me up, and the girls would bitch about me and pull my long hair. I was there for one year two months. Every day I was there, I would make a cross on my calender. I was eight when I left there. Alice was six.

"So this is your en suite," Edward smiled. I blinked.

This room was big. It had a double bed, with curtains around it. The walls were painted cream, with a blue band around the edge of the walls. The floor was cream too, and the bed covers, There was a big, dark wood wardrobe, as well as a set of dark wood drawers. There was a big window, with dark wood frames and cream and tan blinds. There were two dark wood shelves and a night stand. I liked it. The en suite bathroom was blue, with a huge power shower.

"This was just the spare room before, so you can decorate it however you want," Edward told me.

"Its big," I commented.

"It's alright," Edward nodded. "Let's go across the hall to your room Alice," Edward smiled at her. She smiled back, a sweet little smile. The hall was decorated in the same colour scheme as my bedroom. "Here you are," Edward gestured around the big room.

Alice's room was a little smaller, with a large single bed in the corner, with about eight pillows on it and pink covers. Her carpet was cream, she had one wardrobe, one set of drawers and a nightstand too, only hers were light wood. She had two windows, one in the roof, which I knew she would love.

"Ooh," Alice's eyes wondered.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked her, smiling at her in the same way he had smiled at me. Alice nodded, her eyes seemed happy.

"Well I'll leave you two to unpack ok?" Edward asked. Alice nodded, smiling.

"Thank you," I smiled at Edward. He nodded and then left the room.

"Nice room isn't it?" I asked Alice, walking over to her bed and sitting down. Alice nodded. She was looking out of the window. There was a beautiful view of the woods, with the town in the distance.

"Do you think we can stay here Rosie?" Alice asked, licking her lips as she turned around.

"Course not Alice," I sighed. "We'll fuck up again, and they'll send us away," I looked at my hands. They had suddenly become very interesting. "But I'll be eighteen in six months, so we can get a place of our own. That'll be great, yeah?" I smiled at Alice. Her eyes seemed sad.

"Ok," She said in a very small voice.

"Come on," I said, getting up quickly, "lets unpack."

**A/N-- I added the Marilyn Monroe quote because Marilyn Monroe reminds me of Rosalie in this story. Afraid to trust, wanting to be loved and wanting to be wonderful. Btw, in case you wondered and because its going to be important in later chapters, here's what grade everyone's in. Alice, Bella and Jasper are Sophomores (Jasper was held back a year), Edward is a junior, Rosalie and Emmett are seniors (Emmett was held back a year too). Seth is in third grade.**


	4. Jasper

Disclaimer: It doesn't have my name on it, so clearly I don't own it

* * *

_"Because of you _

_I will never stray too far from the sidewalk _

_Because of you _

_I learned to play on the safe side_

_So I don't get hurt"_

_--Kelly Clarkson-Because Of You_

* * *

**JASPER**

Nobody wants me. I'm just the lost toy that everyone kicks in the street, the stray dog that gets thrown out of dustbins where it has been scavenging for food. I'm a freak, and I've got issues. I seem to give off a vibe which says 'RUN', and fast, and don't look back. I was put into foster care when I was five, thats eleven years. I have been to twenty-one foster homes. In the end, the social gave up on me, and I tried to kill myself. They gave me to Esme, who really is the kindest woman I ever met. But there's no way in hell I deserve her. I am a bad person, she is the best. I should be left alone to die. I should be _killed_, like my mom tried to do all those years ago.

The little runt was snoring. It made my eye twitch, like it does when I'm sleep deprived and annoyed. Not that there's ever a time when I'm not sleep deprived. I seriously hate Seth. I've never layed a finger on him...except that time I threw him out of the window. But seriously he's asking for trouble. I don't know why the heck he's in care, but he was most definately spoiled where ever he came from.

"Jasper, honey, get out of the car," Esme's voice pierced my thoughtlessness. I wondered what I had done wrong. Was she making me walk home? But no- we had stopped at the service station. I blinked at her.

"Sorry," I mumbled. I try not to talk. Talking only lands you in the shit. I used to hit hurt when I talked out of place. So I gave up.

"Don't worry about it honey. Come on," Esme had opened my door and was urging me to get out. So I obeyed her.

The new girl, Bella, was standing on the side walk, her arms folded, in the old brown coat she wore. Seth was standing next to the side walk, kicking a rock and frowning. I hoped a car ran him over.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat and drink," Esme locked the car and gestured towards the service station, a short walk away through the parking lot.

"I want candy!" Seth told Esme.

"Well you can't have candy Seth, because you are grounded too!" Esme reminded him. He glared at her. I rolled my eyes. I thought I heard Bella snigger where she walked beside me, a little behind.

There were quite a lot of people in the parking lot and the service station. I have never liked crowds. I only started going to school two months ago, after having three years of home tutoring. They've been working on my dislike of crowds, and my agraphobia for about a year, and I felt ok to go to school with a bit of help and practice from Esme.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Seth said, walking off in the direction the signs pointed him, once we were inside.

"Me too, what about you two?" Esme asked Bella and me. We both shook our heads. "Ok. Go buy some lunch. I'll have a sandwhich. Seth will too," Esme said, reaching in her purse and handing us two crisp bills.

"Aaw man! I wanted french fries!" Seth kicked the ground and walked away.

"_Seth_ Clearwater! _Do not run off_! You two get whatever you want! Get me a coffee too!" Esme told us, walking away after Seth.

Well this was going to be weird. Bella seemed to shy to speak, and I _hated _speaking...

I cleared my throat. "Shall we go over here...?" I asked, beginning to walk to the line for food. Bella nodded, following. We stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes as we drew nearer to the serving people. One of us was going to have to order.

"What do you want? I'll order," Bella offered quietly. I was relieved.

"Whatever...same as you," I muttered.

"Is Esme into healthy eating?" Bella asked. I nodded. "I guess I'll have tuna pasta then..." Bella sighed, studying the menu on the blackboard. "You cool with that?" Bella asked. I nodded. I would eat anything, if I felt like eating at all, which was rare.

Bella ordered our food, two tuna pasta's and two ham sandwhiches, with one coffee, one orange juice and two cokes. She payed, got the change and then I followed her to a table. Esme and Seth still weren't back.

"You don't speak much do you?" Bella asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Neither do you," I commented.

"Children are suuposed to be seen and not heard," Bella smiled.

"And actions speak louder than words..." I half whispered, remembering the way that when _I_ had been heard and not seen, actions had been used to stop me rather than words.

"Mmm..." Bella nodded absent mindedly. She began to pick at her tuna pasta. I copied her.

"Sorry, we went to the shop to buy snacks for the road," Esme apologised, coming up behind me. I jumped a little. Seth still looked miserable. "Do I have any change?" Esme asked, sitting down between Bella and me. Seth sat opposite her.

"Yeah," Bella smiled handing over the change.

"Good choices kids," Esme smiled at the food. "Emmett's cooking tonight. I should call him and tell him we'll be around two hours."

"What's he cooking?" Seth asked.

"Lasagne, I think," Esme told Seth.

"Thats ok, I like lasagne," Seth nodded, chewing his sandwhich. "Emmett's a cool brother," Seth told Bella. "Do you have any real brothers?"

"No," Bella shook her head, looking down at her food.

"Sisters?" Seth asked. Bella shook her head again. "Why do you look so sad? Did they die?"

"Seth!" Esme warned.

"What?! I'm just _asking_!" Seth threw his hands in the air. "I have a sister," Seth told Bella, "her name is Leah. She's fourteen. But she doesn't live with me, she lives with mom. She promised that she'd adopt me when she's eighteen though. I'll be twelve then." Seth smiled at the idea. "What about a dad, do you have a dad?"

"Seth!" Esme turned stern. Seth ignored her.

"My dad's dead," Seth said all matter of fact. I rolled my eyes yet again.

"My mom's dead," Bella told him, looking him in the eye. I reckoned she'd be joining my 'We Hate Seth Clearwater' club soon.

"Oh...I'm sorry," Seth shrugged.

"S'ok," Belly muttered.

"Seth just shut up!" I told him, jumping to the rescue of my new foster sister.

"Jasper," Esme warned.

"Well we were all thinking that," I muttered.

We ate our food mostly in silence, and Esme called Emmett. Bella went to the bathroom and Seth tried to sneak off to the arcade with Esme's change. Then we left the service station, and I fell asleep in the car, ditto Seth.

* * *

**A/N--Ok so I know this chapter sucked and was short, but it was kinda a filler chapter, and it was important to get inside Jaspers head to know some reasons behind why he's like what he is. Hope you liked it anyways. RATE AND REVIEW PWEEEEAAASEEE!!!!!!! *Pulls cute face* **


	5. Edward

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this laptop! Seriously thats how poor I am!

**A/N--Everyone's ages, cos if I keep getting mixed up, then you sure as hell will too. Alice 15, Rosalie 17, Edward 17, Bella 16, Jasper 17, Emmett 18 (nearly 19) Woo so we've had two snow days now, no school :D Thankyou to MayMarieK, and EeyoreFtTigger for reviewing my last chapter :) :) reviewers get cookies!!!...only they'll have to buy the cookies themselves hehe. **

* * *

_Because of you _

_I find it hard to trust _

_Not only me, but everyone around me _

_Because of you _

_I am afraid _

_--Kelly Clarkson-Because Of You_

* * *

**EDWARD**

"Hey! Wanna come do something?" Emmett's voice sounded through the phone.

"Sure. I'll be over in ten," I answered.

"Cool. See ya," Emmett hung up. I did the same.

It was Sunday, ten thirty-one a.m. I had been up for about an hour and a half, and I was watching some stupid cop show on TV. Carlisle had made toast for us both, and was now doing some gardening or something, and the two new girls were still asleep, or so I assumed. It couldn't be easy being in a new foster home. I hadn't been to one since I was nine, and came here.

I got up from the sofa, turned off the TV and walked over to the shoe rack next to the door. I shoved my trainers on and wrenched the door open.

"Carlisle!" I called, wondering where my adopted father was. He had rightfully been my father for eight years, but I still only called him Carlisle, never dad.

"Round here!" Carlisle called. He was around the back of the house. I vaulted the whitewashed fence with one hand, and walked past the small pond to where Carlisle knelt, planting bulbs.

"I'm going to Emmett's," I stated.

"Ok. Home in two hours, we're going out for lunch," Carlisle told me.

"Aaaw man! Ok," I sighed, beginning to walk off.

"Bye Ed," Carlisle called.

"Bye!" I turned and smiled.

I walked down our long pebbly drive way. It wasn't worth walking to Emmett's, it was just through the drive way, alone the road where a house was dotted near the road quite often, and a half mile walk towards where it began to get busier. Emmett's house was the one with the white downstairs outside walls, and the wood panelling upstairs outside walls. Emmett's was the one with the dark wood gate, pretty flowers and tarmacked drive. Emmett's house was the one with the wooden doored garage to the right, and the small gate leading to the back yard with the huge oak tree and the swing, next to the freesias...

It was a mile and a half to Emmett's, including our mile long drive way beneath the tree's. I could run to Emmett's in nine minutes twenty-six seconds. I was a pretty fast runner.

"Hey Edward!" Seth bounced over to the closed front gate when he saw me.

"Hey Seth!" I smiled. The kid was annoying, but ok.

"We've got a new girl!" Seth grinned.

"We have two," I told Seth.

"Hey Seth! Stop pissing Edward off!" Emmett smiled, coming out of the garage with a smudge of oil on his face.

"I'm not!" Seth protested.

"Go back to your soccer ball, me and Edward have big boy stuff to talk," Emmett told Seth. Seth growled but walked back to his soccer ball even so.

Emmett and me walked into his garage, where two cars sat. Emmett's jeep, and Jaspers old Tatra T-600. Esme's own car sat in the drive.

"So I'm just repairing this stupid car again," Emmett rolled his eyes.

"So what's your new girl like?" I looked at Emmett for answers. I wondered what she would be like. Emmett had told me that they were expecting a new girl, but he forgot all the details like how old she was.

"She doesn't talk much," Emmett shrugged. Oh great, another Jasper, another Alice.

"Neither does one of mine," I copied Emmett's shrug.

"Oh yeah, you have two," Emmett remembered.

"Their names are Rosalie and Alice. They're seventeen and fifteen," I told Emmett, hoping he would relay information to me about his new girl.

"Are they hot?" Emmett asked.

"Emmett! They're my foster sisters! But yeah, I guess Rosalie is pretty. Not my type though...much more... yours," I raised my eyebrows, suddenly thinking that Emmett would like Rosalie very much.

"Awesome! Can I meet her?" Emmett asked.

"Sure. Now tell me what your girl's like?" I asked, leaning against the side of the car as Emmett buried his head in the front, unscrewing caps or something.

"She's called Bella," Emmett told me, his voice muffled. Bella. I mouthed the name, it was sweet on my tongue. "She's got dark brown hair and brown eyes, and she's pale, kind of like you," Emmett told me, popping up again. He grabbed a cloth from the side and wiped his hands. "Want to come meet her?" Emmett asked, a cheeky grin on his face...the kind of grin that had 'evil plan' written all over it.

Emmett washed his hands and face in the small sink in the corner of the garage, and then led the way inside, closing the garage door on our way, probably to stop Seth more than any thieves. We walked into the house. It wasn't very big, but it was warm and I got a sense of belonging and happiness every time I walked inside.

In the kitchen, Esme was washing up, her back turned to us, watching Seth out of the window. She was humming. On the kitchen table, swinging her legs like a little kid, was the most beautiful girl I ever saw.

She was, as Emmett had said, very pale. She had brown hair, cascading down her back, and eyes the exact colour of milk chocolate. Her lips were like rose buds, and she was about the same height as Rosalie, five foot five or five foot six. One side of her face was exposed as she had her hair tucked behind her ears, and I could see a blue shiny earring in the shape of a butterfly. My eyes widened as I drunk in every detail of her and stored it into my memory.

"Hey Esme," Emmet said. Emmett was adopted as well, and had been for around the same amount of time as me, hence why we're best friends, even though he's a year, nearly two, older than me. Emmett still calls his adopted mother Esme, not mom though, same as me and Carlisle.

"Oh hey!" Esme whipped around, a plate in her hands that she was washing up. "Hey Edward!" Esme smiled at me. Esme was very pretty for a mother. "How are you?" Esme asked.

"I'm fine," I replied.

"You haven't met Bella yet have you?" Esme asked. I shook my head. "Well here she is. Bella, this is Edward, he's Emmett's friend and he's adopted," Esme told Bella. Bella smiled at me, her eyes widening the same as mine. "Emmett was telling me you've got two new girls," Esme continued. I nodded.

"They're called Rosalie and Alice. Rosalie's seventeen and Alice is fifteen," I told Esme, while not taking my eyes from Bella.

"And are they ok?" Esme asked.

"Yeah. They're fine," I nodded, turning back to Esme.

"Did you pick them up yesterday?" Esme asked, putting the plate on the side and taking her yellow washing up gloves off.

"Yes," I nodded, "I took them exploring the village in the afternoon, and then they helpe Carlisle with the gardening," I recalled.

"Send them my way," Esme smiled.

"I'll help you with the gardening," Bella offered.

Wow. Her voice was quiet, almost scared. But it was like velvet. Soft, smooth and beauiful. Not like Rosalie's husky, sort of loud voice, or Alice's almost inaudible musical voice. It was her own, and it was beautiful.

"That's nice of you Bella. That's what we can do this afternoon," Esme smiled. "Will you be staying to help too Edward?" Esme asked.

"No, sorry," I grinned, "Carlisle says we're going out for lunch."

"Aw man! And I get stuck with these two!" Emmett moaned.

"It's just nice to have another girl in the house!" Esme laughed. I smiled widely. "Hows Carlisle coping with being over run?" Esme asked me, smiling.

Esme knew Carlisle through me. Well she didn't really know him, she had just spoken to him a few times, regarding Emmett and me. I got the impression that they were fond of each other though.

"He's fine," I half laughed. I saw the corners of Bella's mouth turn up too.

"Well...tell him I said hi," Esme smiled sadly, turning her attention back to the washing up.

Love. It only hurts.

* * *

**A/N--I hope you liked this chapter! I thought it was one of my better ones. Next chapter will be school (: **

**Rate and Review, I'll love you for EVER if you do!! Elly, xxx**


	6. I walk alone

Disclaimer: NOT MINE!!!!

**A/N-- Aaah, I'm sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER!! But there's been stuffs going on at home and I've had a ton of homework and coursework and revision. Please forgive me!! **

**So because this is the most important part ever, I decided to do it from three POV's. Alice's, Rosalie's, and Edwards. That way I'm doing it from the perspective of one person from every relationship. Cos duh, they're all gonne fall head over heels in love. This chapter will be Rosalie's, the next Edwards and the next Alice's. It will be the same day repeated three times, but please, please read them all because they'll all basically be totally different. Rate and Review, and please if you have any suggestions, questions or criticism, tell me!! Love you always, Elly xxx**

**Also, thankyou SO SO much to my darling reviewers, Alice Whitlock111, eeyore-ft-tigger (I think I deserve several screaming midgets being thrown at me xD), MayMarieK (!'s are good!) and EstherMinns. **

* * *

_"I lose my way _

_And it's not too long before you point it out _

_I cannot cry _

_Because I know that's weakness in your eyes _

_I'm forced to fake, a smile, a laugh_

_Every day of my life _

_My heart can't possibly break _

_When it wasn't even whole to start with"_

_--Kelly Clarkson-Because Of You_

_"Well behaved woman rarely make history"_

_-Marilyn Monroe_

* * *

**ROSALIE**

_Smile, Rosalie, _I thought to myself. I blinked my big blue eyes in the mirror. Everything would be okay. Everything would be _fine. _I turned my thoughts back to yesterday afternoon. It had been good. We'd eaten lunch in a small cafe, and then shopped for school supplies and clothes. Carlisle let us buy pretty much whatever clothes we liked. This was amazing, seeing as Jo had been somewhat strict with clothes. I was wearing new clothes today. I was wearing faded grey skinny jeans with a simple peach and chocolate striped tank top. On my feet were pink converse.

"Rose?" Alice came into my room.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around to face her.

"Do I look...okay?" She asked. I smiled at her. She was wearing a black skirt with big buttons, purple and black striped over-the-knee socks with black flats which had a big black bowon the front. On top she wore a black T shirt with a bright green dinosaur on it, which had clouds in the background, and a pink and black striped hoodie with holes for thumbs she had hacked into the sleeves herself. Yes, my little sister had, since yesterday, become _emo_.

"You look a bit..." I was going to say evil or something, but thought better of it, "you look pretty," I smiled. She smiled back. i could see she hadn't had time to do anything with her hair. It was chin length, and was growing back after she got mad and attacked it.

"So do you," Alice half whispered.

"Thanks. What are you doing with your hair?" I asked. My own hair was straight, but curled at the bottom. Alice shrugged.

"Brushing it.'

"Okay," I shrugged. Alice's hair was naturally straight, but stuck out at odd angles.

Once Alice had brushed her hair, and stuck a black clip in the side, she stood in front of my mirror nibbling her lip.

"What's up?" I asked her, screwing the lid back onto the lipgloss I had just been applying.

"I look too plain," Alice frowned.

"No you don't," I said truthfully. Alice pointed to her face. "Oh. You want some make up?" I asked. Alice shrugged. I smiled. I would make her look perfect. I checked my watch. Edward had said school started at a quarter to nine, so we had about fifteen minutes before we actually had to leave the house. I had made sure to be up extra early.

"Eyeliner?' Alice asked. I nodded and handed her an eyeliner pencil.

"Want me to do it?" I asked. Alice shook her head. I made to stop her when she applied it very thick, but she just glared at me.

"I want to look different," Alice told me. I knew that Alice was good with clothes, and she always, always knew what looked right. So I left her to it, picked up my white backpack, and went downstairs.

Edward was leaning back in his chair, reading some music book. I smiled as I stepped into the open plan kitchen. He didn't seem to notice me until I opened a cupboard to get some bread out for toast. Carlisle had given me a cupboard tour last night.

"Oh, hi," Edward smiled.

"Hey," I smiled back. Edward seemed nice, although I had only known him just over a day.

"Looking forward to school?" He asked, somewhat lamely. Who in their right mind looked _forward_ to school?

"Not really. They're all the same aren't they, high schools," I pushed the slice of bread into the toaster.

"I wouldn't really know," he bit his lip.

"Course not," I sighed.

"How big was your last high school?" Edward asked. There was an empty plate in front of him, so I wouldn't offer to make him anything.

"There were about two thousand kids there," I shrugged.

"Hmm, there's about the same amount here," Edward nodded, his eyes flickering back to his book. I could tell he wanted to read again, so I didn't say anything else.

* * *

"Hey, Mrs Kenzie?" Edward drummed his fingers on the desk as he waited for the receptionists attention. She was typing something on a computer. She looked quite old, with grey wavy hair and big glasses.

"Oh, Edward Cullen!" She smiled kindly.

"These are the two new students," Edward gestured at Alice and me.

"What are your names dears?" Mrs Kenzie asked, looking down at a pile of papers she had in front of her.

"Rosalie and Alice Brandon," I told her. She nodded and began to sift through the papers.

We had got to the school with just five minutes to spare. This gave us no time to look around, but also stopped kids from oggling the new kids too much. The school was quite big, in a basic box shape with football fields and athletic tracks at the back.

"Here are your maps," Alice and I were handed small black and white squares of paper, "your schedules," we were given larger oblong papers this time, "your planners," small books, "and some slips, just get your teachers to sign them," we were handed little white slips.

"Thank you," I told the receptionist.

"Come back at the end of the day to give me the slips," Mrs Kenzie said. I nodded with a smile. "Have a nice day!"

Just as we turned to leave, the door opened and a girl about my height with long chocolate hair, nervous eyes and pale skin came in, being pushed in gently by a really tall, muscly guy. His hair was brown and short, he had green eyes, and as he smiled at the girl, his cheeks turned up into dimples. I gasped slightly, because he reminded me of something and I'm not sure what. I felt my cheeks blush, and mentally yelled at myself.

"Em!" Edward high fived the boy.

"Edward," He grinned.

"Hey Bella," Edward toned his voice down a little.

"Hello Edward," Bella seemed very shy, a bit like Alice, who was currently studying her schedule behind me.

"Emmett, this is Rosalie," Edward gestured to me. So this was the boy who Edward had been with yesterday morning. Emmett's eyes rested on me, and widened.

"Hey," He held out his hand. I took it. It was big, and warm. But I musn't get too comfortable here. How could I, when in a few months, Alice and me would be moved onto our next foster home? Hopefully our last, until I was old enough to get a place of my own with Alice.

"Hello," I blinked right back at him.

"I'm Emmett Platt," Emmett told me.

"Rosalie Brandon," I said to him, letting go of his hand.

"Hello! My name is Alice Brandon!" Alice had put down her schedule and stepped out form behind me. My God. She was_ talking to strangers._

"Hey!" Emmett held out a hand for her too, smiling. It was a different smile to the one he had given me. Alice shook his hand, smiling widely.

"Bella, this is Alice," Edward smiled. The girl named Bella smiled right back at him, her cheeks turning pink.

"Hello!" Alice smiled at her too, but hugged her instead of shaking her hand. It was all I could do to stop my jaw from dropping. Wow. My sister really didhave a new image.

"Hey," Bella hugged back, looking surprised but pleased.

"Come on Alice," I took her arm, not much liking this new custom of hugging strangers, "we should find our classes."

"Oh. Okay," Alice released Bella and waved goodbye, following me.

"Bye," Edward high fived Emmett again, and smiled at Bella.

"What was that?" I asked Alice.

"What?" Alice asked innocently.

"The whole stranger hugging thing?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Not a stranger. Edward knows her," Alice pointed out.

"Hardly," I said. I didn't like to point out that Edward, too, was practically a stranger to us. Alice shrugged, looking at the ground. I felt a bit bad then, she had just been trying to be friendly.

"Alice, your homeroom is nearest," Edward said as we walked up the steps to the main building.

"Okay," Alice mumbled.

The corridors were packed with kids. Lockers lined the walls, and a couple doors. At the end of the corridor were a left and right turn and a staircase. As we strode down the corridor to the end, everyone turned their heads to look, but carried on their conversations. I couldn't have stood it if they had all gone quiet.

"What's your first class, Alice?" Edward asked. What about me here? It wasn't like I knew my way round.

"English," Alice told Edward.

"That's upstairs, get someone to show you," Edward told her.

We walked through more corridors, all packed with students, till we made it to Alice's class. The information on her map said she was in the third sophomore class.

"Bye, Alice," I hugged her as the bell went. She didn't hug back. "Are you still angry at me?" I sighed, taking her by the shoulders. She just shrugged. "Good luck, kid," I whispered, kissing her head. Edward pushed her gently into the class. She was one of the first there.

"C'mon Rosalie," Edward motioned at me. I wanted to linger by Alice's class for a while to make sure she was ok. "Don't want to be late on your first day." True.

* * *

My first class was Chemistry. It was on fourth floor, which was the top. I had had to use my map to show me the way, being as I was trying to avoid people, and therefore skirt around making friends. I opened the door to a big, light classroom filled with desks. Most of the class were already in there. The teacher was writing things on the board, while the class talked. She seemed oblivious to their talking.

"Um..." I walked over to her, "I'm new," I told the teacher. She turned around, looking shocked to see a person.

"Oh. Who are you?" She asked. I wondered if she hadn't heard my first statement, or if she just wanted my name.

"Rosalie Brandon," I told her.

"Right. Take a seat there," she pointed to a row in the middle which would hold four people. There were three girls taking up the row, with one space at the end for me. As I walked towards the girls, they stopped looking quite so bored and watched me, sitting up straighter. The one on the end furthest from where I would be had long, straight dark brown hair and oversized glasses with black rims. The one next to her had light brown hair in two plaits, and tanned skin, and the one next to where I would be had white blonde hair which was straight and fell down around her shoulders. She looked very tired, but also determined.

"Hey," the one with glasses smiled. She looked popular, as if the world would fall at her feet with a click of her perfectly manicured fingers, "I'm Chelsea," she waved.

"Rosalie," I said, without a smile or a wave.

"Pretty name," Chelsea commented. I wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. "This is Tasha," Chelsea looked at the girl next to her with the plaits.

"Hey," Tasha gave an identical wave. I raised my eyebrows and looked at the girl next to them. She clearly didn't deserve an introduction.

"Tash, move up so Rosalie can sit here," Chelsea told her friend.

"No, I'm fine sitting on the end," I told them.

"Oh, you don't want to sit there," Tasha sniggered. I wondered how she could talk about the girl next to her like that when the girl could obviously hear her.

"What can you read minds?" I asked. Yeah, it felt good to be mean to cool kids, and since I wasn't going to be here very long, what the heck did it matter? Chelsea looked at me in disbelief as I passed her to the end of the row.

"Hey," I smiled kindly at the blonde haired girl. She blinked rapidly at me as if she couldn't quite believe I was real.

"What did you do that for?" She hissed. I shrugged, throwing my bag onto the table and sitting down.

"I'm Rosalie," I smiled again. The girl looked at me, and seemed to consider me for a second.

"Vera," she announced.

"I like your hair," I told her. I doubted she recieved many compliments.

"Thank you," she said in a surprised tone of voice, running her fingers through it. She frowned and I looked at her hand in her hair to see why. There was something sticky and yellow in her hair. "Play dough," Vera rolled her eyes.

"How did that get in there?" I asked, chuckling as Vera smiled.

"Henry," she said, and her smiling stopped.

"Who's he?" I asked as I pulled a pen from my pencil case.

"My kid," Vera bit, as if she expected me to be mean to her or call her a slut or something.

"Cool," I smiled wider at her. There was nothing wrong with her having a kid. I had known loads of people who had kids young. There was a girl at the childrens home who had to leave cos she got pregnant, and she was like the only friend I had there. Chelsea and Tasha meanwhile were giggling.

"What, you aren't gonna call me a slut?" Vera gasped.

"Why should I?" I asked.

"Cos I am..." Vera whispered, tears glittering in her eyes.

"What the hell? Just because _these girls_ say you are, why does that make you one? I bet you love Henry don't you?" I asked.

"More than anything!" Vera sounded shocked that I could question her.

"There you go then! You are not a slut, Vera!" I patted her shoulder.

"Excuse me?" The voice of Chelsea spat. "If you have something to say, say it to our faces!"

I wanted to tell them I had severa things I wanted to say, but just then Emmett stumbled into the room, panting. Everyone began to clap for some reason, and Chelsea flicked her hair back as if she was showing off to him. I sniggered at her pathetic efforts. Emmett held his hands up in the air in victory, leaving me yet more confused. The teacher didn't notice a single thing as Emmett sat down in front of me, winking at me as he did so. I rolled my eyes and looked away. Vera nudged me and giggled. I decided that maybe I could let myself have _one_ friend.

* * *

"Hello gorgeous," A smooth voice came up behind me. I jumped and whipped round. A tall boy with brown hair and tanned skin stood there, a superior look on his face. I blushed. "What's your next class?" He asked. Chemistry had just finished.

"English," I blurted out.

"Me too. I'll walk you," He took my arm, "oh yeah, I lost my number. Can I have yours?" He asked, winking. I couldn't help but compare his with Emmett's.

"Back off, Royce King," Vera was behind us, her hands on her hips.

"Who asked you, baby momma?" Royce asked. I shook my arm away from his.

"Don't you call her that!" I snapped.

"Hey, I was just kidding. Wasn't I Vera?" Royce half sniggered. Vera rolled her eyes and walked past me and him. I caught up with her and linked my arm with hers instead. Vera raised her eyebrows at me.

"You're weird, Rosalie," She said.

"I am?" I asked.

"Yeah. Only you would turn down an invitation to sit with the cool girls, and a date with Mr Hot," Vera told me.

"Mr Sleazy more like," I muttered to her. She laughed.

"Hey, Rosalie," it was Emmett this time.

"Hey," I mumbled.

"Hey, Vera," wow. Emmett called her by name.

"Emmett," Vera nodded. They clearly weren't best friends, but not worst enemies either.

"Nice first lesson?" He asked, walking in step with me.

"Alright," I shrugged.

"Cool. Laters," Emmett ran out of the class ahead of us.

* * *

My next two classes, after English, were U.S history and French. Vera wasn't in my English, but she was in French, a subject she was terrible at, but her grandmother was French, so she felt implied to take it. Royce was in my U.S history, and he was very good at it. He asked for my number again, and I spoke to him a little bit. I don't know why, I just did. After French, Vera showed me to the cafeteria. She said she had to go home for lunch, as she only lived a three minute walk away, and she needed to see Henry. She had told me a little bit about him in French. Apparently she was still with his dad, and she loved him a lot. Henry was one. One half of the seniors had lunch with a third of the sophomores. I happened to be in that half, and Alice happened to be in that third. Her class, however got there ten minutes before mine, and ended ten minutes before mine. It was complicated. The cafeteria was big, and I scanned it for Alice as I queud. I could only see part of it though, because the other part was behind the corner. I got salad, it was simple and no one would think me greedy for eating it. As I rounded the corner, I saw Alice, sitting alone at a table in the corner, her small legs swinging from the chair she sat at. She had no tray in front of her, just an apple, a bag of plain chips, and a paper cup of soda with a straw. She was staring out of the window eating an apple.

"Hey stranger," I smiled, setting my tray down beside her.

"Rosalie!" Alice beamed. Wow. She was happy.

"Have you had a good morning?" I asked.

"It was okay," Alice nodded, taking a bite from her apple. She had never liked to eat much.

"Did you make any friends?" I asked.

"Not really," she shrugged. I felt sad at that.

"I did. I made a friend called Vera," I told Alice, as I dug into my salad.

"Well done," Alice smiled distantly.

"Hey!" Another tray clattered down next to mine. I looked up. Emmett. Was he stalking me?

"What do you want?" I asked, only realising how mean it sounded once I had said it.

"To eat lunch with you," Emmett shrugged.

"Emmett!" Alice beamed yet again.

"Hey pixie!" Emmett sat down. "How have your first mornings been?" He asked, beginning to shovel his huge plate of food into his mouth.

"Okay," Alice shrugged, biting her apple again.

"What about yours?" Emmett asked me. I just shrugged. "That bad? You seem to get on with Vera," Emmett commented.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"That's nice. She doesn't normally have any friends."

"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to eat with your mouth full?" I snapped. I have no idea why, but something about him infuriated me.

"Yeah, I just didn't listen," Emmett chuckled. I rolled my eyes.

"What lessons do you have this afternoon?" I asked Alice.

"Double math," Alice sighed.

"Good luck," I said.

"We have chemistry," Emmett commented.

"I know," I half growled.

"Geez, Rosalie, what's your problem?" Alice narrowed her eyes at me.

"Nothing! I have no problem!" I scowled at her, standing up and leaving. "Meet you out front after school, Alice."

* * *

Chemistry. Again. Vera was waiting for me there. I practically threw my stuff onto the table, after being tripped by Chelsea. I dug my nails into the table and only half listened whilst Vera told me about Henry's antics that lunch time. I heard nothing the teacher droned on about, until she said something about working in three's, and Royce King and Emmett had a small batle of power to make up the three between Vera and me. In the end, the teacher chose Emmett, and Royce was placed with Tasha and Chelsea. We were doing some stupid experiment that I was pretty sure I'd already done twice.

"Rosalie, do you mind measuring the acid?" Vera asked, shaking the little measuring jug for me.

"Oh, yeah, sure," I smiled weakly.

"Rosalie, I think this thermometer is broken," Emmett pouted.

"That might be because you're using the wrong end..." I pulled his hand away from the cup where some other liquid sat.

"Rose, that's a bit too much," Vera told me. I looked at the measuring jug. Oh, I'd used up half the container of acid. I wondered, in passing, what would happen if I drunk the acid, but I pushed the thought to the back of my mind instantly. It was my sister who had become the emo, not me.

"Okay, can I add the powder now?" Emmett asked.

"Yes," Vera nodded, passing him the small plastic bag of grey powder. He poured it all in.

"Now the acid!" Emmett grinned.

"No, I think you're supposed to wait for it to-" but it was too late. Emmett had taken the acid from Vera's hand, and tipped it all in with the powder and the other liquid. The mixture fizzed for a second, before turning a dark, dark colour, and exploding. Yes, Emmett had managed to explode our chemistry experiment. He had jumped out of the way. Vera had been far enough away anyway, because the explosion went mostly upwards. But I was standing close enough that it burned me. It didn't hurt very much, just a brief burn, but then I could smell singed hair, and my hands were black with a smokey substance. Fuck you Emmett.

"ARGH!" I screamed, holding my hands up. The rest of the class had fallen silent, with open mouths. Chelsea and Tasha were laughing. "I HATE YOU!" I slapped Emmett in the face, before running from the classroom. I would not let them see me cry.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so I don't think that was very good but review anyway? PLEEASE!!! Also it was just a random experiment I made up, but don't try it at home anyway xD**


End file.
